Authenticity is a Factory Setting. (And It Might Be Broken.)
In the world of corporate coaching and leadership development, "Authenticity" has become the ultimate placebo.
We’ve been told that if we can just "be our real selves," our relationships will thrive and our influence will skyrocket. It’s a comforting thought. It’s also dangerous.
I see it every day: leaders who use "being authentic" as an excuse for being abrasive. Speakers who use "authenticity" to justify being unprepared. If your "authentic self" is a barely-functioning mess who can’t hold a room or name a stake, then being "real" isn’t your goal—it’s your barrier.
The Identity Trap
In my book, ACTive Communication, I ask a pointed question: Who stands to benefit from making you feel inauthentic?
The truth is, you are the only you that will ever exist. You are inherently authentic. You couldn’t be "fake" even if you tried, because your choices, your mistakes, and your evolution are all yours. The problem isn’t a lack of authenticity—it’s a lack of intent.
When we hide behind "authenticity," we are often just choosing safety. We are performing the version of ourselves that we absorbed from parents, teachers, and old bosses. We are surviving the conversation, not using it.
The ACTive Pivot: Perform Your Way Forward
An actor understands that the "Self" is not a fixed monument. It’s a toolkit. To change the room, you have to change the performance.
If you’re tired of being overlooked or feeling like your message isn't landing, stop trying to find your "real self" and start deciding who you need to BE for the outcome you want.
Practice for Presence, Not Perfection: We don't script to sound 'slick'; we script to stop our internal safety-editors from hijacking our voice. Perfection is a shield; performance is a bridge. When you’ve mastered your script, you stop focusing on 'doing it right' and start focusing on 'making them feel it.'
Name the Stake, Secure the Result: Authenticity is an internal metric; Action is a public one. Stop focusing on how you feel and start focusing on what your audience does. If you haven't defined what their 'Yes' looks like, you aren't communicating—you’re just talking. Move the room by targeting the consequence, not the vibe.
Break Your Patterns: If your habit is to soften your voice and stay agreeable to stay safe, the most "authentic" act of courage you can perform is to speak with authority—even if it feels like you're playing a role. Because in that moment, the role is you.
What Next?
You weren’t born with a limited "identity." You were born with the agency to act.
Stop treating your life like a documentary and start treating it like a production. You are the architect of your own consequence.
If you're ready to stop surviving your conversations and start moving the room, you need a new script. My book, ACTive Communication: How to Command Any Audience in Your Business and Your Life!, is the blueprint for that transition.
Buy your copy here and stop hiding behind the placebo. Let’s start acting with intent.